Dynamics of Mesoscale Convective Systems Observed with a UHF Wind Profiler and a Polarimetric S-band Weather Radar

There have been many studies of the structure and dynamics of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) using both observations and numerical simulations. Weather radars have been widely used in these studies; however, they are poorly suited to investigate the vertical structure within MCSs. Wind profilers, on the other hand, provide an excellent means of probing the wind field and turbulence intensity associated with these storms as a function of height. In the current study, we present complementary observations of MCSs observed in Central Oklahoma using a 404-MHz wind profiler with RASS and a polarimetric S-Band weather radar. The wind profiler is operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) and is located near Purcell, OK. The weather radar is KOUN operated by the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, OK. The seperation between the two sites is approximately 30~km. The distance is large enough to be well out of the ground clutter but close enough to provide good spatial resolution. At this range, the NSSL KOUN radar has a beamwidth of approximately 500~m and the lowest elevation angle samples about 250~m above the FSL wind profiler. The vertical and temporal resolution of the profiler is exploited for the observations of MCSs in the non-precipitating regions (in particular at the leading edge) and compared to the storm structure observed with KOUN radar. These observations are used to examine in detail the wind and thermal structures within various MCSs.